Recovering and separating apparatus



A ril 18, 1939. H. BOUCHER RECOVERING AND SEPARATING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 25, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l Harry ATTORNEY Filed Aug. 25, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Emmy 502100 7267 I ATTOR N EV Patented Apr. 18, 1939 PATENT OFFICE RECOVERING AND SEPARATING APPARATUS Harry Bouclier, Shawnee, Okla, assignorof onehalf to John H. Hudson, Ardmor'e, Okla.

Application August 25, 1936, Serial No. 97,863

1 Claim.

This invention relates to separating and recovering apparatus especially adapted for reclaiming drilling mud used when drilling wells and which exhausts from wells under pressure, the invention having for its primary object the provision of a device of the above stated character which will be economical to manufacture and operate, being actuated by the force of the exhausting mud from the well, eliminating the use of motor power for the driving thereof and is of the rotary type which assures quick and efflcient separation of undesirable matter, such as shale and the like from the mud so that the latter may be again used in drilling operations at a very nominal cost.

With these and other objects in view, this invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating a separating and recovering apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is an end view showing the intake end of the apparatus.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a side elevation illustrating the rotatable separating element.

Figure 5 is an end view illustrating the same showing the blades on which the exhausting mud impinges for bringing about the rotation of the separating element.

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral I indicates a housing of substantially cylindrical shape and is supported horizontally by legs 2. The lower wall of the housing I is offset to form a hopper 3 discharging by way of a neck 4. The hopper 3 extends the full length of the housing and the latter has its ends open and closed by removable heads 5 equipped with journals 6 to rotatably support a shaft I axially of the housing. One of the heads has an intake pipe 8 adapted to be connected in any suitable way with the mud exhaust conveying medium while the other head is equipped with a discharge trough 9. The shaft 1 is free to rotate in the housing and forms a part of a rotatable separating element I0 composed of a series of a spaced longitudinally extending members II and annular reinforcing members I2 suitably secured to the members I I. The longitudinally extending members I I are also secured to end annular members I3. The annular members and longitudinally extending members form a support for a screen I4 of cylindrical shape. The screen material has its free edges disposed against one of the longitudinal members and engaged by an anchoring strip I5. The strip I5 is detachably secured to said last-named member I I by fasteners I6. The rotatable separating element In at its receiving end has located therein a plurality of blades II, also located at the other end of said separating element are blades I8. The blades I1 besides being secured to the adjacent annular member [3 are secured to the shaft 1. The blades I8 are also similarly mounted. The blades I! are curved to present a desirable pitch so that when engaged by a force entering the receiving end of the rotatable separating element will cause the latter to rotate. The material entering the separating element under force causing the rotation therein will have a thorough agitation preventing the materials from clogging the openings within the screen, the openings within the screen being of such size as to permit drilling mud to pass into the hopper 3 and discharge by way of the neck 4 while shale and like mass will exhaust by way, of the trough 9, the blades I8 acting to urge the shale and like matter outwardly of the trough 9.

Located in the housing and extending substantially the full length thereof is a spray pipe 20. one end of which extends exteriorly of the housing for connection to a water supply so that when it is desired to cleanse the separator water may be introduced therein upon the periphery of the rotatable separating element in a plurality of downwardly directed streams, as shown in Figure 3. The water entering in a manner described thoroughly flushes the devices of any particles of material which may adhere thereto. Of course, the flushing operation is only made when the device has been used over a long period of time and is not engaged in actually separating the drilling mud.

Having described the claimed is:

A separating and recovering apparatus of the character described, comprising a horizontally disposed generally cylindrical housing having open ends and a longitudinal portion downwardly offset to form a hopper provided with a discharge neck at its bottom, heads removably secured on the housing for closing the ends thereof, one of said heads having an intake for admitting mainvention, What is terial under pressure into the housing and the other head havingan outlet for the material, a rotatable drum mounted in said housing and extending from end to end thereof, said drum including an axial shaft rotatably supported at its ends by the removable heads of said housing, a plurality of spaced annular and longitudinally extending screen supporting members surrounding said shaft, a circular series of radial propeller blades connecting said shaft and endmost annular screen supporting member adjacent to the receiving end of the apparatus and in opposed relation to the material inlet of the adjacent head of the housing whereby the blades are impinged upon by the material received through the inlet and the drum is thereby caused to rotate,

a circular series of expeller blades similarly connecting said shaft and the endmost annular screen supporting member adjacent the head at the discharge end of the apparatus, said expeller blades acting to discharge material from the drum through the outlet in the adjacent head of the housing, a cylindrical screen supported by the annular and longitudinal supporting members with the meeting longitudinal edge portions of the screen over-lapping each other and bearing against one of the longitudinally extending supporting members, and a retaining strip engaging said over-lapped edge portions of the screen and detachably secured on the last named longitudinally extending member.

HARRY BOUCHER. 

